LASSEN: Riley embraced by Elsinore’s basketball ‘family’

Deven Rileyâs story is one of promise on the basketball court and commitment off of it.

The promise is that of a raw talent beginning to take shape on the Elsinore basketball team. The commitment comes from the team, helping Riley find his way as a person as a player.

Riley â" a gregarious, immediately likable senior â" came to Elsinore a year ago, leaving his family in Yuma, Ariz., to move in with his grandmother.

âThere were a couple family problems I had,â he says, preferring to keep details private. ââ¦ Thereâs a lot of different reasons involved â" faith, and family, and things like that.â (Riley and his family are Jehovahâs Witnesses, and in conversation, itâs clear faith is an important part of his life. âThatâs my way of living,â he says. âI carry myself like that.â)

So, at age 16, he found himself in a new community. When he enrolled at Elsinore, a counselor suggested he try basketball, and when he first walked into the gymnasium, he made an immediate impression.

âI came in here, excited and pumped up, and grabbed the basketball and just did a drop-step dunk,â Riley recalls.

âAnd coach (Rick) Wolters was all like, âOh, my God!ââ

Dramatic as that arrival was, it was also somewhat misleading: At that moment, beginning his junior year in high school, Riley had never played a minute of organized basketball. The 6-foot-2 Riley clearly had athletic ability, but it was wholly undeveloped.

âLuckily,â says Elsinore co-coach Pete Rettinger, âlast year we had such a deep team that he was surrounded by very good players who had played for a long time. â¦ The pressure for him to step in and play was not immediate, so he could learn as he went.â

That team had a group of players, led by seniors E.J. Twyman and Lawrence Chamberlain, who embraced the opportunity to help Riley develop.

âWhen I got here, I could barely dribble the ball against E.J. and Lawrence,â Riley says. âSo I just kept my head up and treated every practice like it was a game. â¦ E.J. taught me the game a lot, and Lawrence taught me the game, and all the other seniors.â

Riley learned well, and now is a starter and key contributor for Elsinore.

Meanwhile, his teammates â" and the coaches, and others at the school â" were making sure Riley was fitting in his new community.

âThey really take care of me, and Iâm happy that they invited me into their family,â he says, extending that analogy to his coaches: âCoach Wolters and coach Pete are like my uncle and my father. Theyâre there for me whenever I need them, on or off the court.â

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